Omisore, LookmanCSIA 301Research PaperMr. Pannah, EmOperation AuroraThe cyber attack dubbed "Operation Aurora" by McAfee's Dmitri Alperovitch was initiated in China by a senior member of the Chinese government at the "Standing Committee of the Politburo" level. (Fahmida). Operation Aurora demonstrated that technology and the Internet are entering a new high-risk era in which cybercrime no longer targets the government but all companies with valuable information. The attack was classified as an advanced persistent threat, later defined as “a highly sophisticated group of individuals targeting themselves, with the ability and intent to launch effective attacks.” (Gibson). Operation Aurora was a sequence of persistent, high-profile hacks that targeted technology, financial and defense companies with valuable and sensitive information. Some of the companies targeted were Adobe, Google, Juniper Network, Symantec, Morgan Stanley and Yahoo. The attackers succeeded in the robbery by manipulating computer codes to exploit vulnerabilities in Windows Internet Explorer (IE), which were subsequently discovered by Google as early as September 2009. In the case of Operation Aurora, the attack used a combination of attacks that included stealth hacking, an unknown loophole in Internet Explorer (also known as the Zero-Day exploit), and the use of complicated encryption. This led companies like McAfee, Microsoft, and Symantec to address the breach by providing patches and updates to browser and security software. As the investigation progressed, Microsoft quickly and quietly released security advisories and security products. They also urged users to run IE patch updates. Al......middle of paper......rora”. Retrieved April 8, 2014, from http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/threatlevel/2010/03/operativeaurora_wp_0310_fnl.pdfZetter, K. (2010, January 13). Google Hackers Targeted the Source Code of Over 30 Companies | Threat Level | WIRED. Retrieved April 8, 2014, from http://www.wired.com/2010/01/google-hack-attack/Gibson, D. (2012, January). SSCP System Security Certified Professional Exam Guide: All in One. (p. 146).New York: McGraw – Hill.Zetter, K. (2010, January 14). Google hack was extremely sophisticated, new details show | Threat Level | WIRED. Retrieved April 8, 2014, from http://www.wired.com/2010/01/operation-aurora/Fahmida, R. (2011, March 1). Morgan Stanley hit out at Operation Aurora hacking campaign in China. Retrieved April 8, 2014, from http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Morgan-Stanley-Hit-by-Chinas-Operation-Aurora-Hacking-Campaign-813092/?mchk=1